On 30 July, ten days after the Houthis declared their blockade, Riyadh announced a maritime coalition to protect Red Sea shipping alongside thirteen other states. The United States and the European Union were invited. Both stayed out. That absence is the most informative fact about the coalition. Why Washington did not join American naval capacity in the region is committed … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia Launched a 14-Nation Red Sea Coalition and Neither Washington Nor Brussels Joined
Red Sea
Houthi Blockade of Saudi Arabia: Bab al-Mandeb Traffic Fell 24 Percent and Then Stopped Falling
The Houthi maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, declared on 20 July 2026, produced a sharp and then remarkably flat effect on traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb. Transits fell from 354 in the week of 13 to 19 July to 269 in the week beginning 20 July, a drop of roughly 24 percent. Preliminary figures for the following week showed 266. The decline arrived immediately and then held … [Read more...] about Houthi Blockade of Saudi Arabia: Bab al-Mandeb Traffic Fell 24 Percent and Then Stopped Falling